The new banknote had stir some controversy when some Canadian look at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial as a twin towers-World Trade Center before it was destroyed in a terrorist attack on 11 September 2001. To make matter worse, they can also see three topless women on the banknote reverse, on the top of the towers. Images of the new Canada $20 polymer banknote has been released by Bank of Canada on 2 May 2012. The notes will only available for public circulation starting November 2012. The tower is exactly a symbol of Justice, Peace and Hope on the WWI memorial in France.
The new banknote has been presented by Canada Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty and Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney at their head office, on Wellington Street in Ottawa, Canada. To raise public awareness about the new note, the building’s north-east corner now features seven-storey high images of both sides of the polymer $20. The $20 bill, which accounts for over 50 per cent of all bank notes in circulation and is the main note dispensed by automated banking machines (ABMs), will begin circulating in November of this year. To prepare for the new notes, the Bank is working closely with financial institutions and manufacturers of bank note equipment to ensure a smooth transition to polymer. The Bank is also providing authentication training and support materials to law enforcement officers and to cash handlers in retail and financial institutions.
The banknote obverse show a new portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II, who is celebrating her Diamond Jubilee this year.
Portrait: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Signatures: Left – T. Macklem, Right – M. J. Carney
Size: 152.4 x 69.85 mm (6.0 x 2.75 inches)
Issue Date: November 2012
The banknote reverse pays tribute to the contributions and sacrifices of Canadian men and women in all military conflicts, and features the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. The Canadian National Vimy Memorial is featured on the new $20 note as a tribute to Canada’s contributions and sacrifices in military conflicts throughout its history. Located on the site of the 1917 Battle of Vimy Ridge, the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France was erected in honour of Canadian service during the First World War.
The themes of all of the denominations are:
- $100 Medical Innovation – celebrates Canadian innovations in the field of medicine (Portrait: Sir Robert Borden)
- $50 CCGS Amundsen, Research Icebreaker – reflects Canada’s commitment to Arctic research and the development and protection of northern communities (Portrait: Sir William Lyon Mackenzie King)
- $20 The Canadian National Vimy Memorial – evokes the contributions and sacrifices of Canadians in conflicts throughout our history (Portrait: HM Queen Elizabeth II)
- $10 The Canadian train – represents Canada’s great technical feat of linking its eastern and western frontiers by what was, at the time, the longest railway ever built (Portrait: Sir John A. Macdonald)
- $5 Canadarm2 and Dextre – symbolize Canada’s continuing contribution to the international space program through robotics innovation (Portrait: Sir Wilfrid Laurier)
